The Hidden Pool by Ruskin Bond

Author:Ruskin Bond
Language: eng
Format: mobi, epub
ISBN: 9788184754551
Publisher: Penguin Books Ltd
Published: 2015-05-21T00:00:00+00:00

To the Hills

At the end of August, when the rains were nearly over, we met at the pool to make plans for the autumn holidays. We had bathed and were stretched out in the shade of the fresh, rain-washed sal trees, when Kamal, pointing vaguely to the distant mountains, said: ‘Why don’t we go to the Pindari Glacier?’

‘The glacier!’ exclaimed Anil. ‘But that’s all snow and ice!’

‘Of course it is,’ said Kamal. ‘But there’s a path through the mountains that goes all the way to the foot of the glacier. It’s only fifty-four miles.’

‘Only fifty-four miles! Do you mean we must—walk fifty-four miles?’

‘Well, there’s no other way,’ said Kamal. ‘Unless you prefer to sit on a mule. But your legs are too long, they’ll be trailing along the ground. No, we’ll have to walk. It will take us about ten days to get to the glacier and back, but if we take enough food there’ll be no problem. There are dak bungalows to stay in at night.’

‘Kamal gets all the best ideas,’ I said. ‘But I suppose Anil and I will have to get our parents’ permission. And some money.’

‘My mother won’t let me go,’ said Anil. ‘She says the mountains are full of ghosts. And she thinks I’ll get up to some mischief. How can one get up to mischief on a lonely mountain? Have you been on the mountains, Laurie?’

‘I’ve been on English mountains,’ I said, ‘but they’re not half as high as these. Kamal seems to know about them.’

‘Only what I’ve read in books,’ said Kamal. ‘I’m sure it won’t be dangerous, people are always going to the glacier. Can you see that peak above the others on the right?’ He pointed to the distant snow range, barely visible against the soft blue sky. ‘The Pindari Glacier is below it. It’s at 12,000 feet, I think, but we won’t need any special equipment. There’ll be snow only for the final two or three miles. Do you know that it’s the beginning of the river Sarayu?’

‘You mean our river?’ asked Anil, thinking of the little river that wandered along the outskirts of the town, joining the Ganges further downstream.

‘Yes. But it’s only a trickle where it starts.’

‘How much money will we need?’ I asked, determined to be practical.

‘Well. I’ve saved twenty rupees,’ said Kamal.

‘But won’t you need that for your books?’ I asked.

‘No, this is extra. If each of us brings twenty rupees, we should have enough. There’s nothing to spend money on, once we are up on the mountains. There are only one or two villages on the way and food is scarce, so we’ll have to take plenty of food with us. I learnt all this from the Tourist Office.’

‘Kamal’s been planning this without our knowledge,’ complained Anil.

‘He always plans in advance,’ I said. ‘But it’s a good idea, and it should be a fine adventure.’

‘All right,’ said Anil. ‘But Laurie will have to be with me when I ask my mother. She thinks Laurie is very sensible, and might let me go if he says it’s quite safe.

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